How to Apply for Jobs on Care.com: Tips from a Pro

Care.com is an online marketplace and job board that was first launched in 2006 to help connect care seekers with care providers, from babysitters and nannies to senior caregivers, pet sitters, dog walkers, and more.

As one of the most widely used job sites for caregivers, the site has enjoyed marvelous success, and it’s a top choice for families. But how does Care.com work for caregivers?

Basically, once you create a profile, there are two ways you can use Care.com to find jobs: You can browse and apply to jobs on the Care.com job board, or you can wait for families to contact you directly with a request to “book” your services.

What kind of jobs can you apply for on Care.com?

Care.com is often associated with babysitters and senior caregivers, but the platform offers a wide range of job opportunities that extend well beyond that to include other types of child care, housekeeping, pet care, special needs care, tutoring, and personal services. To see the full range of jobs you can do on Care.com, visit the Care.com job directory.

There are a few requirements you’ll need to meet to get approved to post a profile on Care.com:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a Social Security number
• Pass a CareCheck

You may also need to meet additional training or licensing requirements, depending on the type of work you’re doing and where you live. Care.com requires you to be properly licensed and certified for the services you’re providing, so be sure to check state and local regulations for your line of work before you sign up.

To get hired on Care.com, you’ll need to pass Care.com’s mandatory background check, known as CareCheck. Care.com doesn’t disclose what information is reviewed during their screening process, but it’s possible that you’d clear the CareCheck even if you have a criminal record.

To get jobs through Care.com, you need to follow three basic steps to establish yourself as a caregiver on the site.

1. Create a Care.com account

To create a caregiver account on Care.com, follow the steps below:

1. Visit the Care.com homepage and click “Apply to Jobs.”
2. From the drop-down menu, specify whether you are an “Individual” or “Company” (small business).
3. Select the type of service you want to offer.
4. Enter your email address and create your account password.
5. Click “Join now” to continue the enrollment process.

Where to download the Care.com app

App Store Google Play

2. Pass the CareCheck

All caregivers on Care.com are required to complete CareCheck, which is a simple background screening that Care.com runs on you after you submit your application. You can expect the CareCheck to only take a day or two. You’ll need to pay a background check fee of $15 once each year to maintain your approved status.

Even if you pass CareCheck, it’s possible clients may pay to run an additional background check on you. Care.com offers four options of advanced background checks that review your criminal record or motor vehicle records.

3. Build your profile

Once you register an account on Care.com, you’ll need to create a profile. How strong your profile is will determine how likely you are to get job offers, so put effort into making it the best it can be.

Your Care.com profile will show the following information:

• Bio: Brief summary (750 characters) of your professional experience and qualifications, what services you provide, and who you are.
• Profile picture: Professional headshot showing your face.
• Pay rate: Your minimum accepted pay rate as well as what fees you charge for additional services.
• Region: Your city or town and zip code, showing where you are willing to work.
• Background check status: Once you pass Care.com’s background check, a badge will display on your profile to show employers that you’ve passed your screening.
• Services provided: What services you’re willing to provide within your job category. For example, for babysitting or nannying, this would be how many children you’re willing to care for, your preferred age groups, and tasks/duties you can perform.
• Qualifications: Your education level, your professional skills and certifications, the languages you speak, and any other additional details you want to include.
• Availability: What hours you’re free for work each day of the week.
• Rating and reviews: Individual reviews from people you’ve worked with and an overall star rating.

Note that you’ll need to create a separate profile for each type of work you want to do. For example, if you want to provide both caregiving and pet sitting services, you’ll need to create a separate caregiver profile and pet sitter profile.

How to Set Your Job Preferences on Care.com

There are two main ways to get work through Care.com: You can either actively apply to jobs or wait to get booking requests from employers who have seen your profile and decided to message you directly. But this wasn’t always the case.

According to Ryan, a babysitter who’s been using Care.com for 14 years, the process of getting jobs on Care.com is “an area that is changing rapidly.” Previously, a family would simply post a job for a certain date, care providers would “apply” by sending a direct message to the family, and that was it. You would get a positive response, negative response, or no response at all.

This is still the case for the bulk of jobs, but for optimal success, you need to know all your options. Here’s a breakdown of how you can start getting work once your profile is live on Care.com.

Applying for jobs

The main way to apply for jobs on Care.com is to browse jobs posted on the job board and then apply for ones that sound like a good fit for you. This is what Care.com was originally designed for, and Ryan told us that it’s still the number one way that employers and caregivers use the site.

Example Job Listings on Care.com

Accepting booking requests

Care.com’s “booking” feature is relatively new, and it aims to simulate other “gig” apps by offering caregivers the option to receive payments through the app. Ryan described this feature as “like Uber for babysitting.”

You maintain a calendar of availability, set your rates, and families can “book” you. Care.com acts as the “middle man,” even offering to coordinate calls through the app so you don’t have to exchange phone numbers. In return, they take a cut of your earnings, much the same as other gig apps.

Once someone sends you a booking request, you can review the details and accept or decline the booking. After the booking is accepted on your end, the job’s status will be either “confirmed” or “family needs to confirm.”

While you can send a message to a client who has requested a booking, Ryan said the people using this feature to book his services “generally just want a quick sitter and aren’t looking to interview babysitters.” Instead, they simply rely on his reviews and profile, generally not even requesting a meetup before the booking date.

Ryan expressed some uncertainty about how well Care.com’s booking feature will work in the long term due to the safety concerns for care seekers and caregivers alike. “Most parents don’t want a random person they have never even spoken to to show up and watch their kids alone,” Ryan said.

Similarly, many nannies would be nervous about showing up to a random home late at night when they haven’t even spoken to the parents. Since you can’t message a family before accepting a job offer, it’s a bit more difficult to screen care seekers who book your services.

“I would accept jobs that sounded like something I would like and then message the family saying I would like to have an interview call,” Ryan said. Interviewing with the job poster in one way or another is a crucial step you need to take for your own safety.

Ryan has booked countless jobs through Care.com during his 14 years on the platform, and he’s been in the game long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. Here are his top tips for getting hired and boosting your application response rate on Care.com.

Put effort into your Care.com profile

The first point Ryan brought up was creating a strong Care.com profile. This is the first thing potential employers will see when deciding whether or not to offer you a job, and it’s all you’ve got if you’re completely new to the site and haven’t had the chance to build up any reviews yet.

“This is your only chance to make a good impression and encourage families to reach out to you or book you,” Ryan said. “Spend a while on it.”

This doesn’t just mean writing a great bio (although this is important). You also need to make sure that all the profile options you’ve selected make sense and that you upload a high-quality photo that looks professional.

Gather reviews and references

Although a strong profile is enough to get an ordinary job through the Care.com job board, it won’t be enough to get bookings. For these, you need reviews and references.

After all, Care.com bookings are short notice and don’t usually involve an interview—clients need to know you’re reliable and trustworthy before they’ll be willing to book you. In Ryan’s words, “It’s just a really different beast than all the other apps and websites and gig opportunities.”

The high importance of 5-star reviews is what makes it so tricky to get work on Care.com, especially for roles that require a lot of trust, like babysitting. “This isn’t delivering groceries,” Ryan said. “You need to convince a family you are safe enough for them to entrust their children with you.”

Don’t just charge what someone else is charging

While you should research what other people are charging in your industry, it’s important to take all influencing factors into consideration when setting your rates, including your qualifications and experience level.

“I see people all the time trying to ask for $30/hr with no experience just because others can,” Ryan said. This is a mistake that could lead to missed opportunities.

If you’ve got no formal experience, start by setting your rates on the lower end of the spectrum and then work your way upward. The table below can give you an idea to start off, although be sure to research the rates where you live for a more accurate estimate.

Care.com Rates in Top US Cities

Source: Care.com rates calculators for caregiving, babysitting, housekeeping, and pet care.

Similarly, you should also consider the demand for your particular services where you live. If the market is especially saturated or you live in a rural area, the rates listed above may not apply to you, or you may need to start off with low rates to beat out competitors who have more work experience.

Check job listings often

Try to apply to a job posting as soon as possible after it’s listed. Some jobs get dozens of applicants, and applying early will allow you to be one of the first few applicants that the client sees. This will give you the best chance of getting the job.

Only communicate with clients who seem like a good fit

Any time you send a message to a potential client, they will be able to leave you a review. This leads to an unfortunate dilemma for Care.com workers.

On one hand, Care.com encourages caregivers to respond to all requests within 24 hours and displays a “timely response” badge only for those who meet this standard. On the other hand, when you accept a booking and then cancel, there’s a good chance the client will leave you a bad review, which can greatly impact your ability to connect with future employers.

Ryan compared the phenomenon to misleading Amazon reviews, where a customer leaves a poor rating because they accidentally ordered the wrong product or didn’t properly read the description. Similarly, a parent may leave a babysitter a 1-star review stating “This person was unavailable for the date I needed,” even though they never worked with them.

Ryan’s solution is to avoid replying to anyone who contacts him unless he’s sure it’s going to be a good fit. This way, he minimizes the risk of losing his good reputation and his job prospects due to a simple misunderstanding.

Put thought into your application messages

Simply sending out the same reused application to every job post you see on Care.com is the quickest route to ignored or rejected applications. After all, why would the person who posted the job take the time to write you a personalized message when you didn’t do the same for them?

Taking the time to write out a thoughtful application message is crucial. “Show them you have read their post,” Ryan added. Tell them why you think you are a good fit, state that the schedule works well for you, talk about your professional experience, and act interested.

Ryan always ends his applications with a note about how he’d love to chat more by phone or video call and that afterwards, he’d be happy to provide additional references.